Scouts collect school supplies for Oklahoma students

TUPELO – The Girl Scouts of Troop 20205 are collecting school supplies for students affected by the deadly Moore, Okla., tornado.
Scouts McKenna and Lily Allen, Regan Plunkett and Georgia McGee set up a donation box at Tupelo City Hall on Monday, with the blessing of Tupelo Mayor Jack Reed and Tupelo Fire Chief Thomas Walker.
“That’s very thoughtful,” Walker said. “What you ladies are doing is very special.”
The girls in the troop, which is based in Tupelo, said the project was McKenna’s idea.
“I wanted to do something to help any way we could,” the 14-year-old said.
Her sister, Lily, 11, added, “We heard about the school that got destroyed, and we wanted to help them out.”
The Scouts were the first to donate to the box in city hall, adding folders, notebooks and backpacks.
“Every city has its challenges, every family has its challenges and every child has its challenges,” Reed said. “What matters is how you respond to challenge, and you are responding in a compassionate, thoughtful way.”
School supplies can be donated at city hall, all city fire stations and East Heights Baptist Church during the month of June.
The tornado ripped through Moore on May 20, killing 24, including several students at Plaza Towers Elementary School.
sheena.barnett@journalinc.com